Chapter 664 Traveling
Prev Chapter
Next Chapter
Once again, Lex was riding Fenrir to pass through the bog. The area he was passing through right now was extremely dangerous, not because of the darkness or the monsters, but some unknown danger. Both Fenrir and Lex felt an extreme threat as soon as they neared, which was unusual for no such danger was mentioned on the 'map' they were following.
As such, Lex was at least reassured in knowing that he had managed to get his suits Geeves. He was not wearing his first suit, which Geeves had designed for frustratingly sturdy defense, but the second one, made from Orion's scales. The second suit was designed for stealth, and went even beyond the features the scales provided.
The scales could perfectly hide energy signatures, making it easy for one to hide from spirit sense and scanners, yet did nothing for visibility - that issue was handled by other features of the attire. The suit Lex was wearing, was styled differently from contemporary suits, and was more in line with the fashion trends of earth during the 19th century.
The color was an unusual blend, which would more easily allow Lex to completely disappear in even the mildest shadows, yet at the same time allow him to fall perfectly into the background even in completely illuminated environments. The pants were straight but smart, the waistcoat quite fitted to his body and a small bowtie. It was the coat that was most distinct as it required only the top button to be closed, for underneath it the coat slanted sideways, no longer covering Lex's chest, and transitioned into a kind of cape. Apparently the style was called a Frock coat.
Although it sacrificed a lot in terms of defensive capabilities, that was never really a requirement at all. Allowed to focus completely on stealth, Geeves was able to provide Lex with a suit that would allow him to disappear without the need for any spiritual techniques at all. Now that, on top of Fenrir's already impressive abilities made it so that Lex did not need to be worried about being detected. Yet still the feeling of danger persisted.
During this period the duo was extremely careful, and Lex was ready to enter his flow state at any moment. For once, his trusty and handy lenses failed him, in the regard that they were not able to detect the source of any danger.
But fortunately, 8 hours later, they left the area unharmed and uninterrupted. The days later, they finally left the bog and entered the Sentinel territory. Here, Fenrir's stealth would play an important role once again.
The Sentinel race could not exactly be called Xenophobic, as they had good relations with many races. Unfortunately, humans were not included among those races. The Sentinels were a humanoid race with extremely strong spirits but weak physical bodies. As it turns out, the resources they needed to then cultivate their bodies were often the same as those required by humans. In this matter, they were even more sensitive than humans, for they absolutely needed those resources. If they did not continuously strengthen their bodies, they would not be able to support their growing spirit. In the end, they would be bottlenecked and unable to grow.
The lack of resources and the competitive nature of cultivation ensured that the two races were never able to become allies. Even at their best, the two races were able to maintain a hostile neutrality, with countless small skirmishes.
There was a small note in the map stating that if Lex had a good relationship with the Sentinels, he could take a teleportation formation from one of their cities and skip a lot of the traveling he was about to face. Unfortunately, Lex had never developed a relationship with them, and thus would not be able to do that. Taking the longer route was his only option.
He would have to traverse the Sentinel territory into the unclaimed lands, which would be a stretch of territory where no sentient race had laid claim. Such lands were common, and could be either completely safe, or home to exceptionally strong or dangerous beasts. There was no real way of knowing.
The duo continued their journey, managing to avoid detection throughout. Weeks later, once they crossed the unclaimed lands, they faced a lake. Although it was called a lake, the body of water was larger even than the oceans on earth.
Crossing the lake was not hard as Fenrir was easily capable of running on water - or at least it was not supposed to be. Two days into their journey, a flock of Frio birds appeared in the sky and clashed with a nearby flock of Sol birds.
At first Lex thought that they were fighting, but it quickly became obvious that they… were involved in some kind of mating ritual. As happy as Lex felt for the local population of these massive divine birds, the results of their ritual were absolutely devastating!
A storm covered the lake unlike one Lex had ever seen. Boiling water rained from the sky, beginning to evaporate even as it fell. At the same time, snow and hail battered the lake as if they had a personal vendetta. The rapidly changing temperatures, from warm to cold, from cold to freezing to instantly boiling, and then back again completely confused even nature itself.
Massive tidal waves rose, but evaporated before they fell. The lake froze over, trapping even Fenrir where he ran, then erupted due to pressure accumulated due to the boiling water trapped beneath the frozen surface.
It was too much, and even Lex's powerful defenses were nothing in the face of nature's fury. Eventually they had to retreat to the Inn until the natural disaster that was that mating ritual ended. But even 10 days later, nothing seemed to change.
At this point Lex was beginning to feel desperate. His destination was too far, and time was running short. Moreover, every minute his workers were out on the battlefield, risking their lives for a fight that Lex thought was completely pointless.
In the end, unable to contain himself, Lex ended up back at the Infinity Emporium in an attempt to purchase a vehicle small enough to fit inside his spatial bangle, while also fast enough to make up for time that he had lost, and at the same time sturdy enough to withstand the accursed neverending 'mating ritual'.
As it turned out, there were a few options he could take, but they all left him unsatisfied. It was then that he discovered something. Possibly due to being spoiled by his own system, he realized that as incredible as the emporium was, it had a severe lack of rare or extremely impressive goods.
That was not to say their catalog was bad. Clearly it was great, for they had helped Lex numerous times already. But even their rarest items were never of the quality or type he came to expect from systems. For example, he still had not been able to find a cloning technique that satisfied him, but he was somehow sure that if he received a cloning technique as a reward for some SSS+ rank quest, he would be extremely pleased with it.
He was too used to one of a kind, overwhelmingly incredible items from his system In comparison, normal rare items which could theoretically be found in the vaults of any large organization could no longer impress him. After all, that rarity was a result of limited market availability, and not because the item itself was actually incredibly rare and impressive.
Feeling spoiled in such a manner, in the end Lex bought a small 'jet' in the shape of a canoe. It had no thrusters or rockets or guns or anything of the sort, but came with an impressive shield that could block out even serious meteor impacts, and traveled really fast. It was not stealthy at all, and would cause multiple sonic booms on launch, but for now it fulfilled Lex's needs. He did not have the time to be picky.
In the end, Lex and Fenrir returned in their new canoe, only to discover that the storm ended literally minutes after their arrival!
Suppressing his agitation, Lex started the canoe and shot through the air. Fenrir tried to stick its head out of the shield to feel the wind but was nearly launched out of the canoe, and was only saved due to Lex. Moreover… the fur on its face had been pulled off as if waxed!
The traumatized pup immediately squealed and threw itself in Lex's lap and began sobbing. Lex tried to keep himself from laughing, for the sight was too hilarious. Also, he had to focus on navigating so he could not afford such a distraction.
Three days later, they arrived in the territory of a Trelop, where he could take his next teleportation formation.
Meanwhile, back in the Origin realm, almost a month had passed since the Midnight Battalion had been sent on their first mission.
Chapter 665 Warriors
Prev Chapter
Next Chapter
Chapter 665 Warriors
On a continent covered in perpetual darkness by a thick curtain of clouds, the orange glow of molten lava illuminated an area clear of any and all vegetation. Only dirt, broken rocks and massive, pointed boulders protruding from the ground itself could be seen.
To call the region barren would be to praise it too highly, for this was a place abandoned even by death for countless years. Only recently, due to the intense conflict, had living creatures once again crossed this plain of desolation, and the reward for their transgression was to be hunted down mercilessly.
What followed then… was a war that gave even the most experienced soldiers nightmares. Whether it was the elves, the treants, the werewolves or the vampires, they all looked towards a particular battalion from only the corners of their eyes, almost flinching at the sight of them. They dared not look at them directly. They did not want to offend them. They also did not feel worthy.
There, on the precipice of an ocean of magma, stood 999 soldiers radiating an aura of pure and utter annihilation, purely honed and kept in perfect control. As ash and soot rained from the sky, they stood perfectly straight, their attire lacking even a single wrinkle or speck of dirt.
Whether it was when they laid siege to armies much bigger than their own, or as they ended a drought that had lasted many millennia by watering the ground in rivers of their enemies blood, or when they walked through flames or brought down behemoths that shook the ground with every step, their appearance remained pristine, as if to say that they were not putting in any real effort.
On this planet where everyone should have had similar power levels, so as to not destabilize the planet itself through too much destruction, they were an exception that totally destroyed the concept of power levels to begin with.
As if rising to the challenge that this battalion of impossibly strong soldiers presented, the Fuegan revealed a plot both sinister and malefic. Having prior knowledge of the valuable resources on this planet, and anticipating that the fighting parties would not want to sacrifice the planet, they populated the planet with deadly, artificially created aliens.
But the threat of those aliens, who were devouring and destroying the planet itself, was merely a curtain of deception to hide their true intentions.
Due to the Midnight Battalion's relentless assault, they chased the parasites of this planet even into these lands that should have been out of their way, followed closely by the allied forces. Here, they discovered a solitary temple, seemingly built out dirt and dead wood.
Within the temple they discovered a larva in the form of some kind of a vile deformity, still being nurtured in an amniotic sac made from the skin of beasts.
Surrounding it were numerous formations, feeding it with the aura of death, of pain, of agony, of catastrophe, all accumulated during this genuine world war.
But it was already too late. Although still not completely mature, upon being discovered the sac burst and the deformity was released into the world. With a wail that sounded like the misery filled screams on a trillion souls, the… the thing announced its arrival.
The planet itself seemed to almost fracture under that terrible cry, and suddenly every living being on that planet somehow knew that the planet was heading towards destruction.
Panic, fear, confusion spread not only on the surface of the planet, but also through the many ships surrounding the planet. Immediately the superiors decided to give up on the planet, and extract all their soldiers. They could not afford to lose all their elite. Once the soldiers were evacuated, they would kill the creature by destroying the planet by using weapons of mass destruction.
But, as if the creature's cry had opened Pandora's box, a meteor shower suddenly appeared out of nowhere, crashing into countless ships. After the initial strike, alien forces appeared in space, resulting in an impromptu space battle, leaving no ships free for evacuation.
Hopelessness and desperation spread through the surface of the planet. All the soldiers deployed on the planet were Foundation realm, but the newly born creature was already in the Golden core realm. Moreover, as it quickly burrowed down into the ground, eating everything in its path, its aura was rapidly growing.
The creature's destination was the core of the planet, its intentions clear. Perhaps this was only the first step in an elaborate plan the Fuegan had long prepared. The aliens, which had so far shown a distinct lack of unified intelligence, began coordinating impeccably to slaughter all the so-called 'elites'.
Although it was unlikely, since the creature had been born prematurely and wasn't at full strength, clearly the mastermind behind the scenes didn't want to take a chance and so wanted to occupy all the forces on ground in a fight for survival. This way, none could target the newborn.
It was then, during that most hopeless hour, when death was near certainty and all their efforts seemed for naught, that some noticed this single testament of indomitability. It was like a sword that would cut through the world itself if it came in its way. It was like the first ray of sunshine, pushing back the darkness even of the abyss. It was an unstoppable force that would tear apart any immovable object that came in its way.
It was the Midnight Battalion, and their increasingly fast march was their response to the wail of a trillion souls. They were making their way to the tunnel that creature had dug towards the core with the spirit of warriors that could not be defeated, could not be deterred, could not be swayed.
Just as some thought that perhaps there was hope, a tremor shook the planet, and molten lava erupted from the tunnel, like a volcano long stewing. The ripple of that explosion could be seen by the naked eye and the shockwave killed thousands.
But the battalion was not stopped for even a second, as they changed from 1000 soldiers into a single undefeatable mech. With noble purpose the mech dove into the lava itself, disappearing from view.
Across the planet armageddon seemed to have arrived. Tremors, storms, tidal waves, volcanoes and every other kind of disaster seemed to strike all at once. Scans from orbit seemed to show that the planet was on the path to exploding.
All hope was lost. This would be a grievous defeat for the allied forces. But then, the tremors seemed to slow down, their might waning. Then, shocking every living creature that saw the scene, the ground erupted once again. Yet instead of lava, a mech and a massive insect-like creature emerged from the ground.
With tens of thousands of small limbs the creature smashed the mech, and with a maw that could eat through planets the creature bit at it. Yet the mech was not only strong, but had deftness one could not expect from its massive frame.
Dodging each and every attack, the mech fought back, in plain view for all to see. Very literally, this was a fight to determine the fate of a planet.
The fight was devastating, to say the least. Even without the creature purposefully trying to destroy the planet, their fight seemed to put the planet in that direction. More and more lava erupted as the shockwaves from their fight seemed to break the tectonic plates, ultimately forming an ocean of lava.
Yet there was no reprieve or respite. There would only be victory or death, and clearly the result had been a resounding victory.
Once the creature was finally slain, the mech vanished in a cloud of smoke and the battalion was once again revealed. But, instead of the 1000 soldiers that had formed the mech, only 999 emerged.
With such a result, who would have cared. The price of a single life for such a victory was one any commander would be willing to pay. Yet it seemed everyone had misunderstood the situation. The 1 that was missing had not died, but had dove back into the lava as soon as the mech was dismissed.
No one knew his purpose, and when anyone asked, the battalion did not respond. Long gone were the amicable and friendly workers of the Inn. These were now the battle hardened soldiers who dared to steal life back out from the jaws of death itself, and they would not reveal the purpose behind one of their soldiers actions.
Eventually, even as the planet was cleared and evacuations once again began, they chose not to move, and not to retreat. Even the allied command, who had sent them onto this planet, ordered them to reveal what they were doing, but one of the soldiers, Gerard, simply told them to mind their own business.
It was only an entire day later that a single, still suited figure emerged from the lava ocean. The outsiders could not tell who it was, for all the members of the battalion had their faces covered, but they themselves knew who it was. It was Luthor, and when he emerged from the lava, he was radiating a much more powerful aura.
Clearly he had restrained himself and kept himself from entering a higher cultivation level, but even still stuck at the Foundation realm, he felt much stronger than before.
"Let's go. The next battlefield awaits."
Chapter 666 Little Devil
Prev Chapter
Next Chapter
The 1000 soldiers seemed to be walking casually, but they smoothly shuffled amongst one another and came into their designated spots. While their gait remained nonchalant, they would be ready to react at the first sign of trouble.
From the moment of their birth, they had remained under the nurturing care of the Innkeeper, in the paradise that was the Midnight Inn compared to the battlefield that they had recently endured.
The battle prowess be what it may be, that did not change the fact that they were now living a completely different life and were exposed to horrors and difficulties they never could have imagined. Undoubtedly that put immense mental pressure on them. Who wanted to be on a dying, crumbling planet when they would be at the Inn instead?
Yet while they endured that pressure,their hearts never wavered. In fact, their determination to overcome these trials grew stronger. After all, they finally got a glimpse of the pressure the Innkeeper was keeping at bay for them. They finally saw first hand the trials the Innkeeper was facing alone, so that they would not have to. All they had to face were enemies near the Foundation realm, while the Innkeeper had to face the entire universe himself.
Through fire and fury and blood they renewed their resolution to grow stronger, and they did. Fighting side by side, ensuring that none of their brothers or sisters was harmed, they used this war as an anvil, and their enemies as the hammer which would shape them into the fiercest warriors. Of course, it helped that their suits made them immune to any damage from a foe at their level.
But that defense allowed them to survive their mistakes when they made it, and fix them so that they wouldn't make them again.
"Everything alright?" Gerard asked Luthor as he walked up beside him. Although they had supported his actions without question, no one actually knew why he had dived back into the lava.
Instead of answering directly, Luthor held up his right arm and conjured up a purple flame that seemed to come out of his arm itself, instead of just being summoned atop it.
"Near the core I sensed something calling me, so when I had the opportunity, I returned for it. I found a feather made of purple flames that merged into my body, and strengthened me. Apparently, I was extremely compatible.
"Information about my change appeared in my mind. This is the Purple Phoenix flame, a kind of special flame that is extremely destructive, and is born under extremely special circumstances. Of course, these are not real Phoenix flames, but that is just how it is named. By absorbing the flames, I have apparently activated my dormant physique, which is the Nine Nether Fire Body. I can continuously absorb special fires into my body, and once I've collected nine of them, they will merge and give birth to a new kind of flame."
Gerard was not surprised to hear this. Over the past month, many of them had not only awakened their bloodlines, but also other special powers. There were a few of them who had unlocked strange abilities that conformed neither to any cultivation method they were aware of. Once they were evacuated, they could request their commanding officer to give them special guidance from the allied forces training officers.
Since that would only raise their battle prowess, they would not be denied. Before they were sent to this planet, they had been briefed not only on what was expected of them, but the kind of support that they could get from the allied forces. Soon, someone with much more knowledge than them would come and teach them about the new abilities they unlocked, and how to use them.
"What's a 'special physique'? Any idea?" he asked, only mildly curious. He wondered if he had one.
"None whatsoever. But what I have figured out is the hidden reason the Innkeeper sent us all here. It may look like he was just agreeing to the demands of our hosts, who own this realm, but in fact, he just wanted us to use this opportunity to experience the universe for ourselves, and discover the direction we want to go in.
"In the safe and secure grounds of the Inn, we would never face the pressure that is required for us to grow. What do you think, Z?"
The teenager was walking behind them, seemingly distracted. His focus was on a floating 'ball' above his index finger. The ball did not exist, and seemed only visible due to the fact that light passing through it was bending across its surface. The 'ball' was also contracting and relaxing, like a beating heart.
Yet the beat did not produce a sound. Instead, it seemed to spread a ripple through space itself, one which could be felt not only through one's body, but in their soul as well. It was not really a sound as it was experienced and not heard, but at the same time it reminded one of the steady beat on drums.
A second such ball appeared above his middle finger, beating at a slightly faster pace. Together, the beating of the two balls produced a steady rhythm which tickled the memory of many of those around him. The rhythm was familiar, as if it was the beginning of a song they had heard, but could not exactly recall.
"Sure, whatever you say," Z replied, not really paying too much attention to Luthor. His focus was completely on the balls of distorted space he was playing with. Unfortunately, all of his prepared speakers broke within the last month. So now, he had to think of some alternative way of producing music. Apparently, bending space itself, before allowing it to partially return to its natural state produced a beat like drums. Now he had to figure out how to recreate the 'sound' of a guitar through space itself.
Although this was hard, once he was finished, he would be able to play his music inside a vacuum as well. That would surely help in space fights. He was looking forward to it.
Everyone around him chuckled, but said nothing. Over the past month, it was not Luthor or Gerard who had shone the most. Even with Luthor's upgraded power, he was not sure he could measure up to Z.
As if he were a protagonist of an anime, Z kept growing stronger at an exponential rate. Still in the Foundation realm, even without actualizing his affinity in his energy which only happened in the Golden core realm, Z was playing around with space as if it took no effort to distort it at all.
Although he was not the only one who had attained a space affinity, he was the only one who had mastered it to such an unbelievable level.
He was now stronger and more lethal than any of them, yet unlike the rest he did not gain a hardened and jagged aura from the month long war. Instead, he retained his childlike innocence, his slightly introverted and shy tendencies despite the fact that he had somehow become friends with almost all the workers at the Inn.
Without the music around to completely change how he behaved and fought, for a time, he had become extremely docile. After all, it was not in his nature to fight. He used the music to 'get him in the mindset' to fight. Without it, he was handicapped.
Until the last fight, in which he discovered the power of drums. Using only those, he unleashed the power of war drums.
What happened after that… well since he was the one incharge of the mech, the results spoke for themself.
Among the other battalions who had seen him fight, and recently even among his own comrades, Z had gained a new nickname though he himself was unaware. Behind his back, and in whisper, people spoke about the Little Devil who hid his true self behind a camouflage of youth and innocence.
Not that anyone was complaining, since he was on their side. The members of the Inn didn't even take it too seriously. But in the allied forces, a file was compiled on the 'Little Devil', and sent up the command chain. It seemed even some superiors had begun to keep an eye on him.
*****
In the Crystal realm, Lex continued to travel across the lands that seemed to never end. Since it was not safe to cultivate in such an environment, even inside his 'ship', Lex mostly took this time to review his arrays. He also sent his projections inside the library in the Inn to begin studying.
The lenses were revealing a lot of information to him that he didn't understand, which only showed the depth of his ignorance. He had to remedy that as soon as possible.
Like this, another two weeks passed. After traversing various terrains and avoiding countless dangers, Lex arrived at the next spot he would take a teleportation formation. For some reason, despite his progress, an anxiety began to build in Lex's heart. He seemed to be feeling like… he was running out of time.
Chapter 667 Random Events
Prev Chapter
Next Chapter
The area he arrived at was not the territory of some noble, but instead a trade city established by some kind of sect. The sect itself was quite mysterious, and not many knew the details of their practices or purpose.
They were, however, quite accepting of everyone and everything as long as they obeyed the laws of their territory. Moreover, the sect would accept members of any race without compromising the unity that the sect members displayed. Why the members had so much unity was yet another mystery, and not one Lex was too interested in at the moment.
Lex was too distracted by the growing tension he felt. At first, he thought that the anxiety was normal. After all, almost two months out of six had already passed, yet he was not anywhere close to his destination. Sure, the teleportation formations would surely help and theoretically, he would arrive in the middle of the fourth month or early in the fifth month if all went well. This was the deduction based on the map. But there was no way of anticipating any problems he might encounter along the way.
But as the anxiety grew, Lex reassessed the situation and concluded that it was a hint from his instincts. He began deducing what issues he would encounter and how he could circumvent them.
In his mind, the feeling of running out of time was a result of him being on a tight schedule, which was the most logical deduction. After making a few contingency plans, he headed directly to the teleportation formation to continue his journey.
As it happened, quite coincidentally, at the exact same time, various seemingly unrelated yet incredibly important events were taking place.
In the Crystal realm, at that very moment, Aegis, the crown prince of the Hum nation, seemed to be in the middle of a devastating battle. As the foremost genius the Hum nation had ever produced, there were very few instances where he was beaten so badly, and all of them were at the hands of his own father. This time was no exception.
"Aegis, why are you doing this?" the King asked, somewhat exasperated. Was it not enough to rule the entire human race? Now he had to deal with parental issues as well.
Around the two was a battlefield, littered with the corpses of Kraven. They were deep within the territory lost by humans, so neither of them had reason to be there. Cornelius especially should not have been there.
"Why am I doing this? I think the question should be, why aren't you doing this? I am only seeking retribution for the losses we have suffered against the Kraven, and taking back what is ours."
"I have told you Aegis, you alone cannot face all the threats that humans face. The human race as a whole must become stronger. If they depend on the strength of a single man to keep them safe, they will once again fall as soon as that man disappears."
"Such a convenient answer, when it requires you to sit back and do nothing but let the humans die! Why train me so hard then, if you were never going to let me use my strength? You should have let me live in mediocrity."
"I am not doing nothing, I am raising the strength of the human race bit by bit! If you had obeyed my orders, and retrieved the cultivation technique of the True path, as I had told you to do, you would be doing the same."
"The cultivation technique of the True path? What's the point in pursuing a path that the majority of the human race cannot follow? That directly contradicts your statement about raising their strength as a whole!" At this point, Aegis was screaming at his father. Years of bitterness and resentment had mixed in with the new frustrations he felt as he began exploring the truth of the Crystal realm, under the hints of the Innkeeper.
He had already developed a few theories of the truth, but each one hurt his innocent heart more than the next.
Before Cornelius could answer, there was a flash of lightning, and with it, Aegis disappeared. In his stead, he left behind a few roaring words that echoed throughout the battlefield.
"WASH YOUR NECK OLD MAN! IF YOU HAVE SOLD THE HUMAN RACE, THEN I WILL BE BACK TO CUT IT OFF!"
Instead of being angered, Cornelius only sighed. It seemed his son was finally entering his rebellious phase.
Elsewhere in the Crystal realm, an army of Kraven was slowly marching out once again. Yet what was different between this army, and every other army that they sent out, was that each and every member… was an immortal! Hundreds of thousands of immortal Kraven were on the move, their destination unknown.
Back in the Origin realm, quite a few significant events were happening at the same time as well.
The allied forces, meaning the various forces who under the order of the Henali combined their strength to combat the Fuegan, were both unified in their mission, yet at the same time very disjointed in their chain of command. At least, that was the case with the allied forces operating in the Suera galaxy.
As such, a lot of information often went missing, and entire records sometimes disappeared. This was usually not due to any sabotage, but just bad logistics. Among the millions of orders being processed each minute, a file containing the deployment orders of the Midnight Battalion suddenly disappeared, and in its place, another file appeared with completely different orders.
At the same time, a file containing details of Z were copied and sent to an unknown destination, far away from the galaxy.
On Earth, the battle for New York took a drastic turn when a group of immortals suddenly appeared and surrounded Marlo. Yet facing certain death, Marlo did not frown, and instead grinned like a madman.
On his neck, the golden nano-talismans he was so proud of began to shine. The advantage of being known for stupidly intense brute strength was that people often forget that Marlo was also a genius businessman, strategist and an overall intelligent person. For a long time he had been wondering if he could create a spiritual technique that mimicked the effects of a nuclear bomb. If he could, then he'd be able to convert it into a talisman, right? It was time to see the fruits of his efforts.
In another place in the Origin realm, the Fiery Mammoths had officially sent a delegation to the central galaxy of the Jotun empire while unofficially they had begun to invade the galaxy neighboring theirs. True war was not their intention, so as long as their negotiations were concluded successfully, the situation would not escalate.
In another planet in the Origin realm, Bastet and Falak wore a depressed look as they were escorted into a jail cell. At their cultivation level, they were more or less at the absolute peak strength that the Origin realm would naturally allow, so the identity of their captor was extremely mysterious.
Even they did not know who it truly was, or what they wanted. After all, they had been overwhelmed the instant they were discovered.
Somewhere else, in the Henali portal, someone sent out an invite for members to join a book reading club. The venue for their meeting would be the Midnight Inn.
Elsewhere, far away from both the Origin realm and the Crystal realm, in one of the older and more complete realms, a group of four had encircled a single being.
The group consisted of a true dragon, its massive red body radiating unbearable heat, a gravin, a race equal to both dragons and celestials, a henali, and Kilgore, a beast completely unique in the universe with no other members of its race besides itself.
The being that was encircled was, surprisingly, a member of the celestial race!
What was more unusual was that, despite the celestial being a Daolord, looked like he was suffering from grevious wounds.
"Do you know what you're doing?" the celestial asked in a hoarse voice. "Do you think you can afford the consequences of harming me? There is no race more unified than the celestials! None of you will escape!"
"You should have thought of that before you messed with the Versalis Bank," said the Henali, showing no signs of remorse.
"Are you serious? You're all dogs of a bank?"
"Stupid celestial, don't you know the most important law in the universe? There is nothing more powerful than money!" Growled the dragon.
"The celestial race will never let you go!" the celestial said, anger and hatred filling his voice.
"We shall see," replied Kilgore.
Then, the group attacked once more. They did not ultimately kill the celestial, for that was easier said than done. They did, however, capture the celestial, and took him away. As soon as the celestial was delivered, their debts to the bank would be cleared. As for what happened afterwards, that was the bank's problem, not theirs.